I previously provided a couple lists of musical that were due for Broadway revivals. When I started thinking about others I would include in a third, a more interesting idea came about.
Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series that’s been presented by New York City Center since 1994. They’re dedicated to reviving rarely produced American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. The series has spawned numerous Broadway transfers. Last year’s gala presentation of Ragtime will be playing a limited run at Lincoln Center Theater this fall. Among the others are…
The long-running revival of Chicago
Wonderful Town with Donna Murphy
The Apple Tree with Kristin Chenoweth
Gypsy with Patti LuPone
Finian’s Rainbow with Cheyenne Jackson
Violet with Sutton Foster
Sunday in the Park with George with Jake Gyllenhaal
Into the Woods with Sara Bareilles
Parade with Ben Platt
Once Upon a Mattress with Sutton Foster
There are five musicals I can think of that haven’t been staged in New York since their original runs (although one of them did have an Off-Broadway revival about a decade ago). Therefore, each of them should ideally be revisited by Encores! someday. I'm not only about to list them off one by one, but I'll also be sharing my ideas for who could star in them.
A Christmas Carol: The Musical
Book By Lynn Ahrens & Mike Ockrent
Music By Alan Menken
Lyrics By Lynn Ahrens
Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series that’s been presented by New York City Center since 1994. They’re dedicated to reviving rarely produced American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. The series has spawned numerous Broadway transfers. Last year’s gala presentation of Ragtime will be playing a limited run at Lincoln Center Theater this fall. Among the others are…
The long-running revival of Chicago
Wonderful Town with Donna Murphy
The Apple Tree with Kristin Chenoweth
Gypsy with Patti LuPone
Finian’s Rainbow with Cheyenne Jackson
Violet with Sutton Foster
Sunday in the Park with George with Jake Gyllenhaal
Into the Woods with Sara Bareilles
Parade with Ben Platt
Once Upon a Mattress with Sutton Foster
There are five musicals I can think of that haven’t been staged in New York since their original runs (although one of them did have an Off-Broadway revival about a decade ago). Therefore, each of them should ideally be revisited by Encores! someday. I'm not only about to list them off one by one, but I'll also be sharing my ideas for who could star in them.
A Christmas Carol: The Musical
Book By Lynn Ahrens & Mike Ockrent
Music By Alan Menken
Lyrics By Lynn Ahrens
Adapted from Charles Dickens' 1843 classic novella. Ebenezer Scrooge is a prosperous old miser who believes personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others. He combines his feelings of Christmas tidings and charitable giving, but is forced to face his selfish ways as three ghosts on Christmas Eve lead him through his Past, Present and Future.
This iteration originally ran at Madison Square Garden every holiday season from December 1st, 1994-December 27th, 2003. Since then, its only major productions were in concert by the London Musical Theatre Orchestra from 2016-20. Although the show itself is at least still available for licensing to stock and amateur through Music Theatre International. As I mentioned in a previous piece, I’ve never seen it on stage, but the original cast album has become a staple for me every holiday season. It especially features what has to be the most underrated music Alan Menken has ever written.
With everything going on in the world, we could always use some Christmas cheer. Especially with the timeless message of how it’s never too late to change your ways. While Encores! would never do this during their regular season of operation, I can definitely see it as a future choice for their annual fall gala presentation. After all, they usually take place in November, right around the time the holiday season begins.
As for who I’d like to see star in it…Danny Burstein as Ebenezer Scrooge.
City of Angels
Book By Larry Gelbart
Music By Cy Coleman
Lyrics By David Zippel
This iteration originally ran at Madison Square Garden every holiday season from December 1st, 1994-December 27th, 2003. Since then, its only major productions were in concert by the London Musical Theatre Orchestra from 2016-20. Although the show itself is at least still available for licensing to stock and amateur through Music Theatre International. As I mentioned in a previous piece, I’ve never seen it on stage, but the original cast album has become a staple for me every holiday season. It especially features what has to be the most underrated music Alan Menken has ever written.
With everything going on in the world, we could always use some Christmas cheer. Especially with the timeless message of how it’s never too late to change your ways. While Encores! would never do this during their regular season of operation, I can definitely see it as a future choice for their annual fall gala presentation. After all, they usually take place in November, right around the time the holiday season begins.
As for who I’d like to see star in it…Danny Burstein as Ebenezer Scrooge.
City of Angels
Book By Larry Gelbart
Music By Cy Coleman
Lyrics By David Zippel
Set in the late 1940s, Stine is a bookish author of detective stories who is struggling to adapt his crime novel into a workable screenplay. As he tries to maintain some integrity in the backstabbing world of Hollywood, his protagonist, a hard boiled private eye named Stone, fights for survival in a city full of criminals and opportunists.
This musical originally opened on Broadway on December 11th, 1989, running through January 19th, 1992. Since then, its only two major productions were both in London’s West End. The most recent of which was staged at the Donmar Warehouse with a cast that included Hadley Fraser, Tam Mutu, Rosalie Craig, and Samantha Barks, where it won the 2015 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. The show itself is available for licensing to stock and amateur through Tams-Witmark, but it’s still one of the least produced Tony winners for Best Musical out there. I actually caught a production at Theatre Raleigh back in 2022 and really liked it.
From what I’ve heard about the original staging by director Michael Blakemore, it was apparently so spot-on that it might be hard for anyone to reimagine it. Not to mention the fact that a period piece with double timelines would be quite expensive to produce in this day and age. The non-profit houses may feel they can’t really do it justice because of the large cast as well as the design requirements. Mary-Mitchell Campbell, who’s the music director for Encores!, mentioned in 2023 that she intends to do City of Angels with them. I hope it happens at some point.
As for who I’d like to see star in it…Santino Fontana as Stine and Andy Karl as Stone.
Jane Eyre
Book By John Caird
Music & Lyrics By Paul Gordon
This musical originally opened on Broadway on December 11th, 1989, running through January 19th, 1992. Since then, its only two major productions were both in London’s West End. The most recent of which was staged at the Donmar Warehouse with a cast that included Hadley Fraser, Tam Mutu, Rosalie Craig, and Samantha Barks, where it won the 2015 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. The show itself is available for licensing to stock and amateur through Tams-Witmark, but it’s still one of the least produced Tony winners for Best Musical out there. I actually caught a production at Theatre Raleigh back in 2022 and really liked it.
From what I’ve heard about the original staging by director Michael Blakemore, it was apparently so spot-on that it might be hard for anyone to reimagine it. Not to mention the fact that a period piece with double timelines would be quite expensive to produce in this day and age. The non-profit houses may feel they can’t really do it justice because of the large cast as well as the design requirements. Mary-Mitchell Campbell, who’s the music director for Encores!, mentioned in 2023 that she intends to do City of Angels with them. I hope it happens at some point.
As for who I’d like to see star in it…Santino Fontana as Stine and Andy Karl as Stone.
Jane Eyre
Book By John Caird
Music & Lyrics By Paul Gordon
Adapted from Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel of the same name. Jane Eyre is a young orphan who is put in the unfortunate care of her cruel Aunt Sarah and cousin, John Reed, as per her uncle’s dying wish. After spending six years at Lowood School for Girls, she is hired as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets Mr. Edward Rochester, thus beginning her passionate and heart-wrenching journey of love, loss, and the struggles of morality.
This musical originally opened on Broadway on December 10th, 2000, running through June 10th, 2001. Since then, it hasn’t had any major productions. Although the show itself is at least available for licensing to stock and amateur through Music Theatre International. I actually got to see the U.S. premiere of a new chamber version at Theatre Raleigh last year and was quite taken with it. I’ve listened to the original cast recording multiple times, and find Paul Gordon’s score to be so magnificent.
For a while, the large cast size was a major factor as to why not many theatre companies have produced this show. Yet with the new chamber version, that should hopefully make things easier. After all, it is a very intimate story at its core, thus it doesn't need all these big production values. In any case, I’d love to see Jane Eyre make its way back to New York somehow.
As for who I’d like to see star in it…Phillipa Soo as Jane Eyre.
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Book By Terrence McNally
Music By John Kander
Lyrics By Fred Ebb
This musical originally opened on Broadway on December 10th, 2000, running through June 10th, 2001. Since then, it hasn’t had any major productions. Although the show itself is at least available for licensing to stock and amateur through Music Theatre International. I actually got to see the U.S. premiere of a new chamber version at Theatre Raleigh last year and was quite taken with it. I’ve listened to the original cast recording multiple times, and find Paul Gordon’s score to be so magnificent.
For a while, the large cast size was a major factor as to why not many theatre companies have produced this show. Yet with the new chamber version, that should hopefully make things easier. After all, it is a very intimate story at its core, thus it doesn't need all these big production values. In any case, I’d love to see Jane Eyre make its way back to New York somehow.
As for who I’d like to see star in it…Phillipa Soo as Jane Eyre.
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Book By Terrence McNally
Music By John Kander
Lyrics By Fred Ebb
Adapted from Manuel Puig's 1976 novel of the same name. The story is set in an Argentinian prison during the Dirty War in 1981. A gay hairdresser named Luis Molina is serving an eight-year sentence for allegedly corrupting a minor. To escape the horrors of his imprisonment, he imagines films starring a classic screen actress named Ingrid Luna, including a role of the spider woman, who kills her prey with a kiss. His life is upended when a Marxist named Valentin Arregui Paz is brought into his cell, and the two form an unlikely bond.
This musical originally opened on Broadway on May 3rd, 1993, running through July 1st, 1995. Since then, it hasn’t had any major productions. The show itself is still available for licensing to stock and amateur through Concord Theatrical, but it’s also one of the least produced Tony winners for Best Musical out there. I’ve never seen it myself, but I have heard both the original cast album with Chita Rivera and the replacement cast recording with Vanessa Williams. I do find Kander & Ebb’s score to be very haunting.
The subject matter being very dark and very niche is likely a factor as to why you don’t see many theatre companies producing it. The Kennedy Center was previously set to do a production in 2023, but got canceled. They did Spamalot instead, which ended up moving to Broadway. Luckily, Encores! specializes in revisiting rarely produced musicals. With an independent film adaptation coming out this fall, hopefully that could spark interest in bringing Kiss of the Spider Woman back to New York.
As for who I’d like to see star in it…Ariana DeBose as Aurora.
Passion
Book By James Lapine
Music & Lyrics By Stephen Sondheim
This musical originally opened on Broadway on May 3rd, 1993, running through July 1st, 1995. Since then, it hasn’t had any major productions. The show itself is still available for licensing to stock and amateur through Concord Theatrical, but it’s also one of the least produced Tony winners for Best Musical out there. I’ve never seen it myself, but I have heard both the original cast album with Chita Rivera and the replacement cast recording with Vanessa Williams. I do find Kander & Ebb’s score to be very haunting.
The subject matter being very dark and very niche is likely a factor as to why you don’t see many theatre companies producing it. The Kennedy Center was previously set to do a production in 2023, but got canceled. They did Spamalot instead, which ended up moving to Broadway. Luckily, Encores! specializes in revisiting rarely produced musicals. With an independent film adaptation coming out this fall, hopefully that could spark interest in bringing Kiss of the Spider Woman back to New York.
As for who I’d like to see star in it…Ariana DeBose as Aurora.
Passion
Book By James Lapine
Music & Lyrics By Stephen Sondheim
Adapted from Ettore Scola's 1981 Italian film, Passione d'amore, as well as Iginio Ugo Tarchetti's 1869 novel, Fosca. The story is set in 1863 Italy at a remote military outpost. A handsome army captain who’s been separated from his beautiful, but married, mistress, is forced to re-evaluate his beliefs about love when he becomes the object of the obsessive, unrelenting passions of Fosca, his Colonel's plain, sickly cousin.
This musical originally opened on Broadway on May 9th, 1994, running through January 7th, 1995. Since then, there actually have been a couple major productions in London as well as a 2013 Off-Broadway revival. The show itself is available for licensing to stock and amateur through Music Theatre International, but it’s another one of the least produced Tony winners for Best Musical out there. I’ve only seen this through PBS’ broadcast of the original production. If you ask me, this has to be Sondheim’s most underrated work.
No matter how beloved he is, his musicals tend to have a very niche appeal. Aside from Into the Woods (his most accessible), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George tend to get produced more frequently. Passion almost feels forgotten compared to most of his essentials. To this day, it’s mainly remembered as the shortest-running Best Musical winner in Tony history. Encores! has done quite a bit of Sondheim in the past. If they’re looking to do more, this one should be considered.
As for who I’d like to see star in it…Kelli O’Hara as Fosca.
So which musicals would you like to see Encores! present in future seasons? Do they happen to be any one of the five mentioned above?
This musical originally opened on Broadway on May 9th, 1994, running through January 7th, 1995. Since then, there actually have been a couple major productions in London as well as a 2013 Off-Broadway revival. The show itself is available for licensing to stock and amateur through Music Theatre International, but it’s another one of the least produced Tony winners for Best Musical out there. I’ve only seen this through PBS’ broadcast of the original production. If you ask me, this has to be Sondheim’s most underrated work.
No matter how beloved he is, his musicals tend to have a very niche appeal. Aside from Into the Woods (his most accessible), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George tend to get produced more frequently. Passion almost feels forgotten compared to most of his essentials. To this day, it’s mainly remembered as the shortest-running Best Musical winner in Tony history. Encores! has done quite a bit of Sondheim in the past. If they’re looking to do more, this one should be considered.
As for who I’d like to see star in it…Kelli O’Hara as Fosca.
So which musicals would you like to see Encores! present in future seasons? Do they happen to be any one of the five mentioned above?